The Goddesses are Laughing
by RandomObserver42
Summary: What happens when Link is sent back in time after the events of Ocarina of Time? Supposedly, he'll have a normal childhood. But what happens if he still has the skills, items, and wallet of a full-fledged adult Hero? Hijinks, naturally. Now not just one oneshot, but a collection! TAKING REQUESTS
1. The Goddesses are Laughing

**This is dedicated to HyruleHearts1123, who gave me this idea in the first place.**

**I don't own LoZ. I find this to be somewhat obvious, but it's better just to appease the great Protectors of Copyright.**

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><p>It could have been dumb luck. Or maybe the goddesses were just bored and decided to play a joke on the inhabitants of Hyrule. Impa didn't know or particularly care <strong>how<strong> it had happened as much as the fact that it **had** in the first place.

Despite the logic of the situation, she could remember a future where she had awakened as the Sage of Shadow. A future where a young boy had grown into a young man and saved Hyrule from evil. A young man who had been sent back in time so he could have a childhood and prevent all the death and suffering that Ganondorf had caused. Now a young boy who, somehow, some way, had managed to retain the skills, items, and wallet of an adult Hero.

If it was the goddesses' work, they were indeed laughing. Probably cackling their heads off.

Impa sighed.

She had just finished the last of the paperwork that would take care of Link's latest escapade. How the boy thought that smashing all of the supply pots in the southeastern guardroom was a good idea escaped her.

Still, she felt it was worth it if Zelda got to have a friend her own age.

Slowly, Impa stood up from the desk and stretched. _Time for a well-deserved lunch. I wonder if they're serving fried cuckoo today?_

The goddesses were, indeed, laughing.

Impa walked to the door of her office and opened it. As soon as she did, she heard the yelling coming from the west side of the hallway.

"An attack?" she asked herself. "But who would possibly be attacking?"

Suddenly, a certain green-clad figure skidded around the corner.

Impa had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Link sprinted straight towards her. As he attempted to run past, Impa grabbed him by the collar and held him up in front of her.

"Link," she asked resignedly, "what've you done this time?"

Link tried to force Impa to release him, but even his skills as the Hero were ineffective against her iron Sheikah grip. "Lemme go, Impa! I have to keep running!"

Impa stared at him suspiciously. "Why?"

Link continued to squirm and struggle. "Seriously, Impa, if you don't let me go I'll die!"

"Really?" Impa asked as she raised her eyebrow. "What could possibly be so important?"

Link stopped struggling. "Impa, I'm begging you!"

Suddenly, the most ominous sound in all of Hyrule drifted down the hallway.

"**BOCK bock bock bock BOCK bock bock bock BOCK bock bock bock...**"

Impa just looked at Link. "You didn't."

Link at least had the decency to look ashamed of himself. "I did."

The Cuckoo Swarm of Death rounded the corner. Upon sighting their prey, the swarm became even more agitated.

Impa knew there was only one course of action.

She ran as fast as she could down the hallway, still holding Link.

Somehow, she managed to glare at him as she ran. "I swear, Hero or not, if I end up having to pick up **any** of those feathers, I **will** toss you down the Kakariko well."

Link gulped. "Understood."

**A few days later...**

Impa was back at her desk once again filling out the paperwork needed to keep Link from being thrown into the Castle Town insane asylum.

She leaned back in her chair. As she did, she bumped against a nearby bookshelf.

Slowly, ever so slowly, gracefully twirling through the air, was a single, perfect cuckoo feather. Gently, it alighted upon the edge of Impa's inkpot. And somehow, whether through dumb luck or the goddesses being bored and playing a joke, that perfect cuckoo feather managed to tip the inkpot just enough for it to spill all over the pile of paperwork.

Impa stared.

And stared.

And kept staring.

She took a deep breath.

"**LLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNKKK!**"


	2. Bomb Arrows

**Hello people! I'm back! So yeah, although originally meant to be a oneshot, TGaL is now going to be a collection of oneshots!**

**And I will be taking requests by both review and PM!**

**HOWEVER, I reserve the right to not necessarily use every idea. That said, I probably will end up doing so.**

**Please enjoy! And send requests for what you want to see!**

**I don't own LoZ. You hear me, O Great and Glorious Defenders of Copywright?**

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><p>Zelda looked around a little anxiously. "Link, are you sure this is a good idea? Whatever 'this' is?"<p>

Link grinned at her over his shoulder. "Of course! What could possibly go wrong?" He shifted the materials he held in his arms and proceeded into Zelda's favorite courtyard. Dumping them once he reached the center, the Hero picked up an object that suspiciously resembled an archery target.

"Where did you get that?" asked Zelda as she lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh, the Gerudo Fortress. They've got loads of targets in their archery range."

"Link! Did you steal it?!"

"Well... Maybe, but the Gerudo are thieves. If I had asked first, they would have lost their respect for me as the youngest card-carrying member of their tribe."

Zelda sighed and murmured, "Somehow I doubt that..."

Fortunately, Link was so wrapped up in setting up his equipment that he didn't hear. He marched over to the wall next to the throne room and placed his target right beneath the window.

"Link! Not there! If you're planning to fire at that target, what if you miss and hit the window?! My father will be quite angry with you. And don't forget Impa..."

At the Sheikah's name, Link froze. He still hadn't quite recovered from being thrown down the Kakariko well after the Cucco-Swarm-In-The-Castle incident.

Link swallowed. "M-Maybe you're right." He picked up the target and started to find a place on one of the other walls to place it.

Zelda sighed again. "What are we doing, anyway? What's this 'incredible discovery' of yours? Hopefully you don't think you invented archery."

Link turned around and stuck his tongue out at the young princess. "Very funny. But while I didn't invent archery, I DID invent... THIS!" Link jumped around and held a bag above his head. Some arrow fletching could be seen sticking out of the top.

The Princess of Hyrule scrunched up her face in confusion. "... Arrows? You invented... arrows? In a bag?"

The Hero was nonplussed. "No! Not bag arrows?" He reached up and tore an arrow out of the bag. Clumsily tied on where the head should be was a large, blue-black plant. With a huge grin, Link announced, "I present... BOMB ARROWS!"

For a moment, Zelda was completely speechless.

It was the single dumbest idea she'd heard Link come up with. Bombs? On an arrow? They'd probably detonate before the archer had time to correct for the added weight and release.

Of course, they could also be a huge tactical advantage in military strategy and in civilian activities such as mining and construction. Grudgingly, Zelda realized that being able to get a bomb farther than you could throw it yourself could be incredibly useful.

Shaking her head a little, Zelda said, "Okay, Link. Let's see how these bomb arrows do."

Link lit up like a light arrow. Grinning, he pulled his bow out of his pouch, nocked the bomb arrow, and drew back the string. As he did, the bomb began hissing and glowing in its warning countdown.

As he drew, Link realized just how much the bomb flower weighed down the arrow. He'd had the power bracelets on for so long that he'd kind of forgotten just how heavy they were. As he tried to line up his shot, the pulsating glow of the bomb became quicker and quicker. Link started to panic a little. _I've got to loose now, or else I'll get blown up!_

He released.

The bomb arrow shot through the air with a scream like a firework. It headed towards the target.

Suddenly, Zelda noticed that the trajectory was wrong and that Link had managed to place the target directly underneath the window in the art gallery without her noticing. In horror, the princess watched as the arrow curved in a perfect parabola straight into the window.

It crashed though the glass.

BOOM. The ground shook a little with the strength of the explosion.

Link stared at the window.

Zelda stared at him.

Far off, a voice could be heard yelling, "LIIIIIIIIIIIINK!"

Link paled. "Impa!" He dashed towards the courtyard's only exit in an attempt to escape and ran straight into the Sheikah warrior.

Impa stared down at him with her red eyes. "What. Happened."

Link tried to back away slowly as he said, "Uh... well... I... Uh, invented a new weapon and I was demonstrating its effectiveness for Princess Zelda since you and her are the only ones in the castle who take me seriously and I know you don't want me making weapons but I wanted to help out and maybe impress Zelda-" He clamped his hand over his mouth.

Impa lifted a deadly eyebrow. Link had no idea how an eyebrow could be deadly, but somehow it was. Slowly, she said, "I see."

"What is the meaning of this?!" an irritating voice shrieked. A steward could be seen through the window running around the art gallery in a panic. "IT'S RUINED! That artist original painting! The only one of its kind in the entire world! The 'Italian Plumber in Red'! Nooooooo!"

Impa had looked up at the commotion. Now, her laser-like gaze shot back to Link. "My office. Now."

Zelda ran up to Impa. "Please Impa! Link didn't mean to do that! It was an accident!"

Impa sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I know that, Princess. But he and I are still going to have a chat. A private one."

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><p>Link knelt before Impa's desk. "O great and merciful Impa, I beg you! Please, please don't throw me down the well again! I'm too young to die!"<p>

Impa leaned back in her seat and snorted. "Oh, come on Link. I'm not going to throw you down the well for this."

"You're... You're not?" Link questioned as he cautiously looked up.

"Nope. Now sit in your chair like a normal person." As Link obliged, Impa continued, "I'm actually not that mad at you for this. Personally, I can see how bomb arrows would be highly advantageous. The only part you where really messed up was testing them inside the castle. Next time, I ask you to go out into Hyrule Field."

Link's face lit up. "Thanks Impa! I'll do that! But..." the Hero bit his lip as he trailed off.

Impa lifted an eyebrow. "But?"

Link cocked his head. "Well, you could have said all of this in front of Zelda. So why did you say we had to have a 'private chat'?"

"Yes," Impa replied as she leaned onto her desk and rested her chin in her hands, "This is about that 'impressing Zelda' business."

Link gulped and froze. "Whaaaat? Impa, where'd you get a crazy idea like that? You must've hit your head earlier-"

"Link."

Judging from Impa's expression, Link realized it was time to shut up.

Impa sighed. "Don't forget, as the Sage of Shadow I remember the seven years that never were. And I remember that you were totally into Zelda."

Link looked away as a blush crept up his cheeks. "So what're you saying? That I shouldn't like her anymore 'cause we're kids? Or since we're back to being a princess and an unknown commoner?"

"Of course not."

Link looked up, not daring to hope.

Impa smiled at him. "Zelda also remembers. And she likes you as well. I just want to give you a nudge in the right direction. While your bomb arrows did impress her from a tactical standpoint, you need to impress her in a personal way.

Flowers are always a good fact, I saw some lovely blossoms just outside Castletown the other day."

A huge grin slowly spread across Link's face. "Thanks Impa!"

Once he was gone, Impa made sure she was alone, then allowed herself a very quiet, "Yessssssss!" with a fist pump.


End file.
